Every rule your project must meet, found for you.

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

RET1: establishing a centre hierarchy, which sets out the districts network and hierarchy of centres and requires proposals for retail and other main town centre uses be directed to the appropriate ce

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

RET2: out of centre development, which requires that proposals for retail and other main town centre uses, outside of centres, demonstrate that they comply with the sequential test and are accompanied

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

RET3: district centres, local centres and city corridors, which sets a threshold of 500sqm for convenience and 200sqm for comparison shopping units;

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

RET5: primary retail area, which restricts non-retail uses to no more than 40% (and no more than 3 adjacent units) within the primary retail frontages.

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The Local Policies Plan sets out site-specific proposals in relation to the development and use of land in Belfast. It contains the local policies, including site-specific proposals, designations and

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The sequential test is an approach that directs development within centres before an edge of centre site or out of centre site. It supports the viability and vitality of town centres by placing existi

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

In the Belfast context, there are no "town centres", rather a city centre with district and local centres, and therefore for the purpose of this SPG, centres are considered to include the traditional

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The sequential approach directs development to the town centre before considering an edge of centre site. Preference will be given to edge of centre land before considering an out of centre site.

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Proposal for main town centre uses, outside of existing centres must: • Demonstrate that there is not a sequentially preferable site in, or on the edge of centre having regard to the criteria of suita

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The sequential test guides main town centre uses to sites within centres locations first. If no centre sites are available, developers should consider an edge of centre location. Only when centre loca

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The sequential test to site selection for main town centre uses will therefore require applicants to consider sites in the following order of preference: • Belfast city centre's Primary Retail Core (P

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

A sequential test should be applied when an application for retail or other main town centre development is proposed either in an edge of centre or an out of centre location. This is in line with poli

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The designated centres for Belfast are the city centre, district and local centres as indicated in policy RET1 of the Plan Strategy document, which sets out the network and hierarchy of centres. As de

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The sequential approach is intended to achieve two important policy objectives: • First, the assumption underpinning the policy is that town centre sites (or failing that well connected edge of centre

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Having established an appropriate catchment, this can then be used to help determine the centres which should be assessed for sequentially preferable sites, in conjunction with details of the type and

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The assessment should then consider sequentially preferable sites – i.e. first those within designated centres and then, if these are unavailable, suitable or viable, sites in an edge of centre locati

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The SPPS is silent on a definition of suitability, availability & viability. However, to provide clarity and greater certainty around this aspect of the sequential test the council considers it import

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Availability This refers to sites that are available now or are likely to become available for development within a reasonable period of time. A site will be considered available for development when,

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Viability This test is concerned with judging whether there is a reasonable prospect that development will occur on a site. This is likely to be influenced by: • market factors – such as adjacent uses

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Consideration will be given to whether the impact of a new out-of-centre development could undermine the viability and contribution of schemes in more sequentially preferable locations or prejudice th

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

This can be achieved by drawing on information from comparable schemes, the operator's benchmark turnover of convenience and comparison goods, and carefully considering likely catchments and trade dra

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

This may require breaking the study area down into a series of zones to gain a finer-grain analysis of anticipated impact (for example, by drive-time band). This may also require inclusion of committe

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Any conclusions should be proportionate, for example, it may be sufficient to give a broad indication of the proportion of the proposal's trade draw likely to be derived from different centres and fac

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

An assessment of need identifies the needs of consumers and the requirements of retailers, leisure operators and others proposing development for main town centre uses. Consideration should be given a

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The SPPS states that when undertaking an assessment of need, this should be proportionate to support the application and may incorporate a qualitative and quantitative assessment of need taking accoun

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The basis of any needs assessment will normally consider the proposed expenditure growth of the council area and quantum need for floorspace, minus the floorspace required for committed developments.

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

As district centres are the next level below the city centre in the centre hierarchy for Belfast, the policy seeks to ensure that major retails proposals for such development are directed to these loc

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Local centres comprise of small group of shops, typically a newsagent, small supermarket/general grocery store, sub-post office and other small shops of a local nature serving a small, localised catch

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Local centres are positioned below district centres in the centre hierarchy for Belfast. Policy RET 3 sets out a number of criteria that development proposal must comply with.

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

The restrictions set out under criterion (a) seek to ensure that the size of both convenience and comparison units reflect their position within the overall hierarchy of centres and do not adversely i

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Within local centres planning permission will be granted for a proposal for retail development provided that: a. Any individual unit created (including by extension) does not exceed 500sqm gross exter

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Centre(s) - Refers to Belfast city centre, district centres and local centres which provide a broad range of facilities and services and which fulfil a function as a focus both for the community and f

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

District Centre - Large grouping of shops separate from and subordinate to the town centre. They are generally located on routes that are convenient and easily accessible to the local community by all

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Edge-of-centre - For shopping purposes, a location within easy walking distance (i.e. 300 metres) of the City Centre, District Centre or Local Centre.

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Local centre – Location typically comprising a general grocery store, a sub post office, hairdressing/beauty salon, café, hot food takeaway, pharmacy and other small shops of a local nature. The prima

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Local shops – These refer to individual retail outlets or small groupings of local businesses that are generally located on roads and in residential areas that connect with arterial routes.

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Main Town Centre uses - Retail development (including warehouse clubs and factory outlet centres); leisure, entertainment facilities the more intensive sport and recreation uses (including cinemas, re

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Out-of-centre - A location outside a centre boundary but within defined development limits. Out-of-town - A location outside defined development limits of settlements.

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Prime Retail Frontage – Designation of the busiest shopping streets that normally contain the prime pitches, where conversion to non-retail uses will not normally be permitted at ground floor level.

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Retail Core – Designation of the largest concentration of shopping within a centre and may encompass areas which afford opportunities for retail-led regeneration.

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Town/City Centre - Town/City centres comprise a mix of facilities which perform a broad range of functions relating to retail, leisure, commercial, tourism, residential, community and civic use. At th

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Town Centre Health check - Town centre health checks are an important starting point to ensure the vitality and viability of town centres are maintained/improved. Town Centre Health Checks are carried

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Trade Draw - Trade draw is the proportion of trade that a development is likely to receive from customers within and outside its catchment area. It is likely that trade draw will relate to a certain g

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Viability Assessment - A viability assessment should include the land/site value as a key consideration as to whether development is economically viable. In order to determine applications a realistic

Belfast·SPG009 Retail and Main Town Centre Uses

Vitality & Viability - Vitality is a measure of how busy a centre is, and viability is a measure of its capacity to attract ongoing investment for maintenance, improvement and adaption to changing nee